Minnesota’s whistleblower law has been in effect for nearly a year, but Hennepin County officials say more work needs to be done to educate people about what it is.

An Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO, temporarily prohibits anyone who is at risk of harm to themselves or others from owning or purchasing a firearm.

So far, Hennepin County has issued 26 ERPOS, about a quarter of the orders issued statewide.

“Interrupting that time between thought and action can save lives,” said Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty.

Earlier this year, after a Hennepin County woman informed her family that she was suicidal, those close to her quickly took action.

“After the ERPO was filed, the woman went to a store to purchase a firearm, but was turned away because the ERPO was in the database,” Moriarty said.

This is an example of how Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty believes extreme risk protection orders can protect people from gun violence.

“Now families and law enforcement can petition the court for ERPOS,” Moriarty said.

Over the past several months, Moriarty’s office has worked with community partners, including domestic violence advocates, who can help people navigate this ERPO application process.

“ERPOs provide a temporary, thoughtful process to ensure guns are removed from volatile situations,” said Leah Kondes of Moms Demand Action. “These orders are not intended to arbitrarily take away rights from anyone; it’s about protecting lives when someone is in crisis.

Whether it’s a suicidal person, a domestic situation or a large-scale threat, officials say the turnaround time for a judge to issue an ERPO is usually very quick.

“Typically, if you apply today, you will get an ERPO today,” said Rana Alexander, deputy Hennepin County prosecutor.

Hennepin County Assistant Prosecutor Rana Alexander emphasizes that an ERPO is not a criminal action but simply temporarily prohibits someone from owning or purchasing a firearm.

“Someone has not necessarily done something wrong or something illegal for an ERPO to be requested or granted,” Alexander said.

For more information about applying for ERPO, CLICK HERE.